Cutting, folding, and associating mechanism for printing machines



Dec. 31, 1935.

A. M. ZUCKERMAN CUTTING, FOLDING, AND ASSCCIATING MECHANISM FOR PRINTING MACHINES Filed Oct. 18, 1932 5 Shets-Sheet 1 maven-ran Dec. 31, 1935. 2,026,515

CUTTING, FOLDING, AND ASSOCIATING MECHANISM FOR PRINTING MACHINES A. M. ZUCKERMA Filed 091;. 18, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 mvzu'ron .1935, A. M. ZUCKERMAN 2,026,515

CUTTING, FOLDING, AND ASSOCIATING MECHANISM FOR PRINTING MACHINES Filed Oct. 18, 1932 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 A Ill AR dq mww w w aln g l -4 .h T V R N S E 0 0 V \w mm -flq N I ||1\ mm kw I Q H n l f A4 11, l 4 w H1 i. ww m. 0-- g .8 NJ wk H J Dec. 31, 1935.

A. M. ZUCKERMAN CUTTING, FOLDING, AND ASSOCIATING MECHANISM FOR PRINTING MACHINES Filed Oct. 18, 1952 5 Shets-Sheet 4 INVEN'I'OR QM 41L fiW 2.... U 7 m WW Ni 4 H E m W i M J a R w= rv in \N 9 c I..G LI

Dec; 1935. A. M. ZUCKERMAN.

CUTTING, FOLDING, AND ASSOCIAT'ING MECHANISM 1 0R PRINTING MACHINES Filed Oct. 18, 1,952 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR Patented Dec. 31, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CUTTING, FOLDING, AND ASSOCIATING MECHANISM FOR. PRINTING MACHINES for It. Hoe & 00., Inc poration of New York Application October 18 19 Claims.

This invention relates in general to sheet cutting, folding and associating mechanism for high speed printing machines, having for its object the provision of improved means for insuring the uniform and eflicient collecting, handling, delivering and counting of signatures.

Another object is to provide novel means for preventing the accidental trimming of cut sheets, the smutting of the printed products, uneven 10 delivery and a poor count of the signatures.

Another object is the provision of means for preventing the fouling of cut sheets by the cutting means and the consequent trimming of the ends of the cut sheets, with the production of trimmings which are highly objectionable to the normal and efficient functioning of the printing machine.

A further object is to provide a novel combination and disposition of adjustable means for cutting, collecting and associating sheets so that the signatures may be accurately and uniformly placed for disposition and counting.

A still further object is to provide a three cylinder combination instead of the customary one of two cylinders, for preventing the accidental trimming of the collected sheets.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a sheet Cutting, folding and associating mechanism for printing machines, of generally improved construction, whereby the device will be simple, durable and inexpensive in construction, as Well as convenient, practical, serviceable and efficient in its use.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts, and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is an end elevational view of the folder of a printing machine in which an embodiment of the invention is incorporated;

Figure 2 is an enlarged end elevational View partly in section of a portion of the mechanism shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional detail view, partly in elevation, with parts broken away; taken on the line 3 of Figure 1, as seen in the direction of arrow 3;

Figure 4 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view taken on the line 4 of Figure 1, as seen in the direction of the arrow; and

Figure 5 is an end view of the folding and, de-

., New York, N. Y., a cor- 1932, Serial No. 638,268

livery arrangement, showing a portion of the mechanism disclosed in Figure 1, on an enlarged scale.

, The sheet cutting and handling mechanisms of high speed printing presses usually consists of two 5 cylinders, one carrying the cutting knives, the other embodying the abutments for the knives as well as the folding blades. While in some presses the knife cylinder is used for collecting the cut sheets, in others the folding cylinder is 10 used for this purpose. In either case difliculties are commonly encountered caused by the fouling and cutting off of the ends of the cut sheets by the knife when collecting on one of these cylinders. These cut off ends or trimmings are high- 5 ly objectionable not only cluttering up the printing machine and interfering with its normal action, but also imposing unnecessary Work on the cutting mechanism.

In carrying the present invention into practice and as one of the features thereof, three cylinders instead of the customary two cylinders, are employed, one cylinder to carry the cutting knives, another to carry the abutments for same and to act as a transfer cylinder, and a third cylinder to serve as a collecting and folding cylinder. The collecting cylinder being entirely separate from the two cutting cylinders, there is no danger of cutting off the ends of the collected sheets.

The collecting and folding cylinder of the present embodiment of the invention collects three out offs on each set of sheet-taking pins before folding off the collected product, the said sheettaking pins of the cylinder being operated by, a gear driven cam. In the operation of folding, the head of the collection passes between the cylinder and a spring seated fold equalizing roller. The above-mentioned pins are then withdrawn and the said spring-seated. equalizing roller holds the collection while the folding blade begins tucking the products or sheets between the folding rollers, pulling up the slack from the tail. Immediately after this, a timed relief on the equalizing roller releases the head of the collection, and the folding rollers then draw the said collection down and fold it. The fold is regulated by adjusting the position of the timed relief on the said equalizing roller.

In conventional folders of the kind indicated, the signatures are customarily thrown upon the delivery belts at substantially the same speed at which the paper runs through the press, giving rise to a smutting of the signatures, an uneven delivery, and a poor count.

According to another feature of this invention, 55

the signatures pass from the folding rollers to a pair of pressure rollers to iron out the fold, the said pressure rollers being so driven as to preferably slow down the speed of the papers fed thereto by approximately one-half. The signatures are further slowed down to approximately onethird speed after passing from the pressure rollers by means of a delivery cylinder which rotates at a predetermined retarded rate and from which the signatures are now passed to or laid on the belts comparatively slowly by means of grippers. The slow delivery hereby accomplished, makes easy the provision of an accurate and effective counter, which displaces, for example, one out of every twenty-five signatures.

As hereinafter pointed out in the details enumerated below the fold may be easily adjusted while the press is running.

With more particular reference to the drawings wherein similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views of the preferred form of the invention, the numeral designates the frame of a printing machine secured to a suitable base or foundation and in which mechanism embodying the present invention is incorporated.

Mounted diagonally on the frame II and rotatably supported in bearings arranged thereon is a power-driven shaft l2. Fastened to the shaft i2 are gears |3, I4 and I5 which mesh with gears operatively connected to the nipping rollers, folding and cutting cylinders, pressure rollers, and the delivery cylinder for the operation of. the above and elements connected thereto, as hereinafter described.

The nipping rollers, indicated generally at l6 for engaging webs W from the printing machine, may be of conventional design, the said rollers conveying the webs W to a pair of cylinders including a cutting cylinder l1 and a coacting transfer cylinder IS.

The cutting cylinder is further provided with cutting knives l'l' secured thereto in the usual manner, and adapted to be coactingly received in cuts formed in cutting abutments l3 secured to the taking or transfer cylinder l8, which latter is also provided with sheet taking pins 20. While the transfer cylinder is herein shown carrying the abutments for knives carried by the cylinder it will be understood that the cylinder may carry the cutting abutments and the transfer cylinder [8 may then carry the knives. The cutting cylinder I1 is mounted on bearing means eccentrically positioned relatively to a shaft l9 at each end thereof, the said means being arranged in a pair of arms 2| secured thereto, to each of which a block nut 22 is fastened, the nuts being engaged by screw shafts or rods 23 rotatably secured in bearing brackets 24 and 28 fastened to the frame The rear screw shaft 23 has a gear 25 secured thereto which meshes with gear 25 on a shaft 26. A second gear 26, on the same shaft is coactingly engaged with a gear 21 secured to the front shaft 23 which has an operating wheel 29 thereon. Turning of the operating wheel 29 will simultaneously angle the pair of arms 2| thereby bodily moving the cutting cylinder Il. By the above means, the said cutting cylinder I! may be adjusted relatively to the transfer cylinder l8, while the printing machine is in operation, the said transfer cylinder being juxtaposed against a collecting and folding cylinder 3| having the usual sheet taking pins 3|.

The folding and collecting cylinder 3| comprises a shell 32 which carries four pin carrying and operating mechanisms, each of which include a shaft 34 on which a plurality of arms 33 having sheet-taking pins 3| are fastened, the shafts 34 being rotatably or rockably mounted in the shell 32, one end of each of the shafts 34 having an arm or lever 34' provided with a cam roller 35 ridin in a cam groove 36 formed on a gear 31 rotatably mounted on the shell 32. The shell 32 is carried on roller bearings 38 arranged on a pair of large studs 39, 4| journaled in the frame II, and is driven by a gear 42 bolted or otherwise suitably secured thereto at one end.

The gear 42 meshes with a gear 43 secured to a shaft 44 supported on bearings 45 arranged in the frame I I, the shaft 44 having a reduced portion 46, Whereon at one end is secured a driving gear 41 in any suitable manner. At its other end the shaft 44 which carries the taking or transfer cylinder l8 has a gear 41 which meshes with the cam gear 31 for the purpose of operatively driving same.

A shaft 48 carrying a folding or tucking blade 49 is journaled or carried on a frame or member 5| mounted in bearings 52 arranged on reduced eccentric portions of the studs 39, 4|. The said member or arm 5| is driven by a gear 53 which meshes with an internal gear 54 secured to the inside of shell 32. The blade shaft 48 itself is provided with a gear 55 which meshes with an intermediate idle gear 56 carried on a stud secured to the frame 5|, the latter engaging a sun gear 51, the intermediate gear 56 being interposed to secure the proper direction of rotation of shaft 48.

The blade carrying frame makes one revolution while the pin-carrying shell 32 makes threefourths of a revolution, the blade 49 carried by the blade shaft 48 makes three rotations to each rotation of the blade frame 5|, it being understood that at every third rotation of the blade shaft 48, the blade 49 carried thereby will be protruded from the shell 32 to thrust a group of accumulated sheets between folding off rollers, as hereinafter described.

A fold-equalizing roller 58, the functions and operation of which have been described in a patent to Halliwell No. 1,722,745 dated July 30, 1929 and in a copending application of Clauberg No. 572,301, for Improvements in folding mechanism, filed October 31, 1931, is mounted on a shaft 58 suitably carried on brackets 59 mounted on a brace 6|. The shaft 58' in turn carries a gear 60 which meshes with a gear 60' carried on one end of the shell 32. The brace 6| is supported on arms 62 swung on the collecting cylinder-center. By means of a system of screw rods and mitres operated manually and indicated generally as at 63 the arms 62 may be rotated about the collecting cylinder center, thereby shifting the relative position of the timing relief on the foldequalizing roller 58. By this means, the fold may be adjusted while the press is running.

Folding-off rollers 65 which coact with the folding or tucking blades 49 are mounted on bearings 66 carried in a pair of swinging arms 61, 68 and may be adjusted to suit the folding blade 49 and the signature thickness. The said rollers, 65 are preferably spring-seated to allow chokes or improperly folded products to pass through without damage to the folder.

As another feature of the present invention, from the folding rollers 65, the signatures pass to a pair of pressure rollers 69, 1| mounted on shafts 72, 13 having intermeshing gears 14, '15 respectively, the shaft 12 preferably being resiliently or yieldingly mounted. The shaft 13 is also provided with an additional gear 14' which is engaged with a gear 15 rotatable on a shaft 16, the gear 15' meshing with a gear 11 secured to a shaft 18 of one of the folding rollers 65. The gear 15 also meshes with an intermediate gear 19 which latter is engaged with a gear 89 on the shaft 18 of the other folding roller 65. A gear 8| secured to or made integral with the gear'l5' is rotatably mounted on the shaft 16, the gear 8| being engaged with a gear 82 which meshes with the gear 42 on the folding cylinder.

The function and general manner of operation of the device has been in part indicated from the foregoing details, but will be more fully understood from the following brief description:

The web or webs W after passing downwardly through the nipping rollers l6 are first passed between the cutting and transfer cylinder ll, l9 respectively, the knives or blades ll of the cutting cylinder coacting with the abutments IS on the transfer cylinder l8 to cut the said web or webs W into sheets which are engaged by the pins 29 of the said transfer cylinder l8 and carried around to the coacting collecting and folding cylinder 32 where the collecting pins 3| in timed sequence engage the cut sheets until same are collected in groups of three out offs. The tucking blade now thrusts or tucks the sheets into engagement with the rollers 65 which then propel the signatures through guides 83, 84 which are secured to brackets or holders 85, 86 adjustably fastened to shafts 81, 88 in any suitable manner. The brackets 85, 86 also serve to support other guides 89, 9| arranged adjacent the pressure rollers 69, H through which the signatures are directed from the folding-off rollers 65.

The pressure rollers 69, H which crease the signatures, are driven at a considerably slower rate than the folding-off rollers 65, preferably about one-half the speed of said rollers 65. The signatures are further slowed down appreciably after passing through the pressure rollers 69, H by means of a delivery cylinder 92 mentioned above, whose rate of rotation is timed to further reduce the speed of the signatures by about a third. The delivery cylinder 92 is driven from the gear which meshes with a gear 95 on a shaft 95 ro-tatably supported in brackets 91 and 91 secured to the frame I I. A gear 98 is secured to the shaft 96 and meshes with a gear 99 secured to the shaft of the delivery cylinder. This cylinder carries three sets of grippers 94 which engage the signatures and hold same to the periphery of the said cylinder until they are about to engage with stripper mechanism shown in Figure 5 and indicated generally as at IN. The grippers then release the signatures which are laid on thedelivery belts 93 at a reduced speed.

It will be understood that the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof, and it is therefore desired that the present embodiments be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, reference being had to the appended claims rather than to the foregoing description to indicate the scope of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. In a cutting and folding mechanism for a web printing machine, a first cylinder having a Web cutting knife, a second cylinder having sheet holding mechanism and an abutment adapted to cooperate with the knife, the first and second cylinders having equal diameters, a third cylinder adapted to collect sheets received directly from the second cylinder, the third cylinder having a. greater diameter than the first and second cylinders, the diametrical dimensions of the third cylinder being a multiple of the diametrical dimensions of the first and second cylinders, means coacting with the third cylinder to fold the collected product for delivery, and means for slowing the delivery speed of the folded products in separate stages.

2. In mechanism of the character described, the combination of a cutting cylinder and a transfer cylinder with a collecting and folding cylinder, sheet-taking devices carried by the collecting and folding cylinder, pressure roller means for slowing down the speed of sheets acted upon by said cutting transfer, collecting and folding cylinders, and a delivery cylinder for still further slowing down the speed of said sheets before depositing same on conveying means forming a part of said mechanism.

3. In a cutting and folding mechanism for a web printing machine, a first pair of cylinders having coacting web cutting mechanism, said cylinders having the same diametrical dimensions, a collecting cylinder of greater diameter than the first pair of cylinders, a pair of folding rollers coacting with the collecting and folding cylinder to fold off a product from this cylinder, and a pair of rollers exerting additional pressure on the fold of the product and operated at lower peripheral speed than the said cylinders.

4. In a. cutting and folding mechanism for a web printing machine, the combination of a pair of cutting cylinders of substantially the same diameters, a separate collecting and folding cylinder of greater diameter than the cutting cylinders, the cutting cylinders and the collecting and folding cylinder having their axes in horizontal alignment, a pair of folding rollers beneath the collecting and folding cylinder and coacting with the collecting and folding cylinder for folding off products therefrom, means for delivering the folded product, and creasing rollers beneath the folding rollers and interposed between the folding rollers and the delivering means, the creasing rollers and delivery means being driven at prov gressively slower peripheral speed than the cylinders to thereby slow the delivery speed of the products in separate stages.

5. In a cutting and folding mechanism for a web printing machine, the combination of cutting, collecting, folding and creasing means for cutting, collecting, folding off and creasing products, with delivery means and means for slowing down the delivery speed of the products during the creasing operation and after being folded oif and while traveling to the final delivery means.

6. In a cutting and folding mechanism for a web printing machine, the combination of cutting, collecting and folding means for cutting, collecting and folding off products with separate means for progressively slowing down the delivery speed of the products in separate stages after being folded off and While traveling to coacting conveying means.

0 7. In a cutting and folding mechanism for a 7 web printing machine, the combination of cutting, collecting and folding means for cutting, collecting and folding off products, with means for slowing down in at least two stages the speed of products after being folded off and before delivery to coacting conveying mechanism.

8. In a cutting and folding mechanism for a web printing machine, the combination of cutting, collecting and folding means for cutting, collecting and folding off products, with separate means for progressively slowing down the delivery speed of the products in separate stages after being folded off and While traveling to conveying mechanism; said means including a pair of nipping rollers.

9. In a cutting and folding mechanism for a web printing machine, the combination of cutting, collecting and folding means for cutting,

' collecting and folding off products, with separate means for progressively slowing down the delivery speed of the products in separate stages after being folded off and While traveling to conveying mechanism, said means including a delivery cylinder.

10. In a cutting and folding mechanism for a web printing machine, the combination of cutting, collecting and folding means for cutting, collecting and folding off products, with separate means for progressively slowing down the delivery speed of the products in separate stages after being folded off and while traveling to conveying mechanism, said means including a pair of nipping rollers and a delivery cylinder.

11. In a cutting and folding mechanism for a web printing machine, the combination of a pair of cutting cylinders, a collecting and folding cylinder, a pair of folding rollers coacting with the folding cylinder, and a second pair of rollers exerting additional pressure on the fold of the product, said second pair of rollers being operated at a slower speed than said first mentioned pair of rollers, whereby products traveling from said collecting and folding cylinder to coacting conveying mechanism will be slowed down.

12. In mechanism of the character described, the combination of means for cutting a web into sheets and transferring same to a separate folding and collecting cylinder for combining the sheets into signatures, and separate means for progressively slowing down the delivery speed of said signatures in separate stages before passing same to a final delivery mechanism.

13. In cutting, folding and associating mechanisms of the character described, the combination of sheet cutting means and sheet transferring means with a separate folding and collecting cylinder, and separate means for progressively slowing the delivery of the signatures in separate stages from said mechanism to coacting delivery apparatus forming a part of the said mechanism.

14. In mechanism of the character described, the combination of a frame, cutting, engaging, folding and collecting mechanism operatively secured to said frame, and delivery and conveying mechanism, with means for preliminarily slowing down the speed of products after passing through the folding and collecting mechanism, and other means for still further slowing down the speed of said products before passing through said delivery and conveying mechanism.

15. In cutting, folding and handling mechanism of the character described, the combination of a cutting cylinder, a transfer cylinder engagel0 the combination of cutting, transferring, col- 20 lecting and folding means, with rotating means for slowing down appreciable the speed of products after being folded, and other means for slowing down still further the speed of said products after being acted upon by said rotating 2 means.

17. In mechanism of the character described, the combination of means for folding and collecting sheets, with means for slowing down in two stages, the delivery of products to a travel- 3 ing belt to a speed sufliciently slow to insure an accurate delivery of the said signatures.

18. In mechanism of the character described, the combination of three cylinders instead of two conventionally employed for preventing the fouling of the ends of sheets being acted upon by said cylinders, said three cylinders including a cutting cylinder, a transfer cylinder and a collecting and folding cylinder, a fold-controlling roller, a plurality of pressure rollers operative to engage and slow down the speed of the sheets after being acted upon by said cylinders, and other means acting subsequently to said pressure rollers for still further slowing down the speed of said products so that the same may be laid down on coacting delivery mechanism sufficiently slow to insure an accurate delivery of the signatures.

19. In a cutting and folding mechanism for a 5 web printing machine, the combination of cutting, collecting and folding means for cutting, collecting and folding off products with separate means for progressively slowing down the speed of the products in two distinct stages after being folded off and while travelling to the conveying mechanism, said means including a pair of ni ping rollers and sheet gripping and carrying mechanism.

ADOLPH M. ZUCKERMAN. 

